MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE ACCOUNT NAMIBIA FUNDED BY THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA THROUGH THE MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE CORPORATION REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

Transcription

1 MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE ACCOUNT NAMIBIA FUNDED BY THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA THROUGH THE MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE CORPORATION REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS MCAN/COM/RFP/1A02011 FOR TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION WITH TEXTBOOK SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT AND MANAGEMENT TRAINING 19 June 2012

2 Contents Letter of Invitation for Proposals...4 Section 1 Instructions to Consultants...7 Definitions Introduction Clarification and Amendment of RFP Document Preparation of Proposals P a g e Technical Proposal Format and Content Financial Proposals Taxes Currencies Submission, Receipt, and Opening of Proposals Proposal Evaluation Evaluation of Technical Proposals Evaluation of Financial Capacity Financial Proposals (only for QBS) Financial Proposals (only for QCBS, FBS, LCS) Negotiations Technical Negotiations Financial Negotiations Availability of Professional Staff/Experts Conclusion of the Negotiations Award of Contract Confidentiality Bid Challenge System Compact Conditionalities Section 2 Proposal Data Sheet...31 Section 3 Qualification and Evaluation Criteria...33 Section 4 A: Technical Proposal Forms...35 Form TECH-1. Technical Proposal Submission Form Annexure Form TECH-2. Financial Capacity of the Consultant Form TECH-3. Organization of the Consultant Form TECH-4. Experience of the Consultant Form TECH-5. References of the Consultant Form TECH-6. Description of Approach, Methodology and Work Plan for Performing the Assignment Form TECH-7. Comments and Suggestions Form TECH-8. Team Composition and Task Assignments Form TECH-9. Staffing Schedule (Complete for each year)... 50

3 Form TECH-10. Work and Deliverables Schedule (Complete for total period) Form TECH-11. Curriculum Vitae (CV) for Proposed Key Professional Personnel Section 4 B. Financial Proposal Forms...54 Form FIN-1. Financial Proposal Submission Form Form FIN-2. Price Summary Form FIN-3. Breakdown of Price by Activity Form FIN-4. Breakdown of Remuneration Section 5 Contract Forms...59 I. Agreement II. General Conditions of Contract General Provisions Commencement, Completion, Modification and Termination of Contract Obligations of the Consultant Defined Terms Prohibition Consultant Requirements Remedies Consultant s Personnel and Sub-Consultants Obligations of MCA Namibia Payments to the Consultant Fairness and Good Faith Settlement of Disputes Compact Conditionalities III. Special Conditions of Contract IV. Appendices Appendix A Description of Services Appendix B - Reporting Requirements Appendix C - Key Professional Personnel and Sub-Consultants Appendix D - Breakdown of Contract Price in US Dollars Appendix E - Breakdown of Contract Price in Local Currency Appendix F - Services and Facilities to be provided by MCA Namibia Appendix G Additional Provisions Section 6 Terms of Reference P a g e

4 Letter of Invitation for Proposals TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION WITH TEXTBOOK SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT AND MANAGEMENT TRAINING 4 P a g e RFP Ref: MCAN/COM/RFP/1A The United States of America through the Millennium Challenge Corporation ( MCC ) and the Republic of Namibia (the Government or GRN ) through the National Planning Commission ( NPC ) have entered into a Millennium Challenge Compact for Millennium Challenge Account assistance to help facilitate poverty reduction through economic growth in Namibia (the Compact ) in the amount of approximately $304,477,816 USD ( MCC Funding ). Millennium Challenge Account Namibia, an organizational unit established within NPC by the Government on March 18, 2008 pursuant to Cabinet Decision Number 5th/ /004 ( MCA-Namibia ), has been designated to oversee implementation of the Compact, and intends to apply a portion of the MCC Funding to eligible payments under a contract for which the Request for Proposals is issued. Any payments made under the proposed contract will be subject, in all respects, to the terms and conditions of the Compact and related documents, including restrictions on the use of MCC Funding and conditions to the disbursements of MCC funding. No party other than the Government and MCA-Namibia shall derive any rights from the Compact or have any claim to the proceeds of MCC Funding. 2. The objective of the Compact program is to increase the competence of the Namibian workforce (knowledge, skills, and attitude), and increase the productivity of agricultural and non-agricultural enterprises in rural areas. The Compact program includes three main projects that will be implemented over a five year period namely: The Agriculture Project, The Tourism Project and the Educational Project as further described below: Education Project - $144.9 million The objective of the Education Project is to alleviate workforce quality constraints to private-sector led growth by enhancing the equity and effectiveness of basic, vocational and tertiary education. Agriculture Project - $46.9 million The objective of the Agriculture Project is to increase the total value added from livestock in the northern communal areas of Namibia and to increase income from indigenous natural products accruing to the poor nationwide. Tourism Project - $66.9 million The objective of the Tourism Project is to grow the Namibian tourism industry with a focus on increasing income in households in communal conservancies. 3. This Invitation for Proposals follows the General Procurement Notice that appeared on dgmarket, UNDB Online, MCA Namibia website and local

5 newspapers on 02 November MCA Namibia now invites proposals to provide the consultant services referenced above ( Proposals ). More details on these consultant services are provided in the Terms of Reference. 5. The Request for Proposal ( RFP ) is open to all eligible entities or persons ( Consultants ) who wish to respond. Consultants may only associate with each other in the form of a joint venture or in a sub-consultancy agreement to complement their respective areas of expertise to enhance their capacity to successfully carry out the assignment and so long as any association is otherwise formed in accordance with the terms of the RFP. 6. A Consultant will be selected under the QCBS, the evaluation procedure for which is described in sections of the RFP in accordance with MCA-Namibia Program Procurement Rules which are annexed to the Compact provided on the MCA Namibia website and the MCC website at The RFP Document includes the following Sections: Section 1 Section 2 Section 3 Section 4A Section 4B Section 5 Instructions to Consultants This section provides information to help potential Consultants prepare their Proposals; it also provides information on the submission, opening, and evaluation of Proposals and on the award of the proposed contract. Proposal Data Sheet This section includes provisions that are specific to this procurement and that supplement Section 1, Instructions to Consultants. Qualification and Evaluation Criteria This section specifies the qualifications required of the Consultant and the criteria to be used to evaluate the Proposal. Technical Proposal Forms This section provides the Technical Proposal Forms which are to be completed by a potential Consultant and submitted in a separate envelope as part of a potential Consultant s total Proposal. Financial Proposal Forms This section provides the Financial Proposal Forms which are to be completed by a potential Consultant and submitted in a separate envelope as part of a potential Consultant s total Proposal. Contract Forms: I Contract Agreement II General Conditions of Contract III Special Conditions of Contract IV Appendices 5 P a g e

6 Section 6 Terms of Reference This section includes the detailed Terms of Reference for this procurement that describe the nature, tasks and duties of the consultant services to be procured. 7. Consultants interested in submitting a Proposal should register their interest by sending an , giving full contact details of the Consultant, to hshikongo@mcanamibia.org 8. A Pre-Proposal meeting will be held on 04 July 2012 at 10h30 in suite 16 of the MCA-Namibia Offices, Atlas Building, 117 Sam Nujoma Drive, Windhoek, Namibia. 9. The closing time for receipt of Proposals is 17 July 2012 at 13:00hrs local time in Namibia. Proposals received after this time and date shall not be considered and will be returned unopened. Consultants should be aware that distance and customs formalities may require longer than expected delivery time. Yours sincerely, Penny Akwenye Chief Executive Officer MCA- Namibia 6 P a g e

7 Section 1: Instructions to Consultants Section 1 Instructions to Consultants Definitions (a) associate means any entity or person with whom the Consultant associates in order to provide any part of the Services. (b) Compact means the Millennium Challenge Compact between the United States of America, acting through the Millennium Challenge Corporation, and the Government of Namibia, acting through NPC, entered into on July 28, 2008, as may be amended from time to time. (c) CIF means Compact Implementation Funding made available under the Compact to facilitate certain aspects of Compact implementation which is more fully described in the Compact. (d) confirmation means confirmation in writing. (e) Consultant means any entity or person that may provide or provides the Services to MCA Namibia under the Contract. (f) Contract means the contract proposed to be entered into between MCA Namibia and the Consultant, including all attachments, appendices, and all documents incorporated by reference therein, a form of which is included in Section 5 of this RFP. (g) day means a calendar day. (h) FBS means Fixed Budget Selection method. (i) "Financial Proposal" has the meaning given the term in ITC Sub-Clause 3.6. (j) Fraud and Corruption means any of those actions defined in the GCC (including the phrases coercive practice, collusive practice, corrupt practice, fraudulent practice, obstructive practice, and prohibited practice as defined in GCC Sub-Clause 1.1, according to which action may be taken against the Consultant, Personnel or MCA Entity personnel. (k) GCC means the General Conditions of Contract. (l) General Provisions Annex means MCC S General Provisions Annex which may be found on the MCC website at ons.pdf. 7 P a g e

8 Section 1: Instructions to Consultants (m) Government means the Government of Namibia. (n) Instructions to Consultants or ITC means Section 1 of this RFP, including any amendments, which provides Consultants with all information needed to prepare their Proposals. (o) in writing means communicated in written form (e.g., by mail, , or facsimile) delivered with proof of receipt. (p) "Key Professional Personnel" means the key professional personnel nominated pursuant to ITC Sub-Clause 3.4(d). (q) LOI means (Section 1 of this RFP) means letter of Invitation being sent by MCA-Namibia to those consultants that register with MCA-Namibia prior to submitting a Proposal. (r) LCS means Least Cost Selection method. (s) MCA Namibia means Millennium Challenge Account Namibia, an organisation unit established within the NPC by Government on March pursuant to Cabinet Decision Number 5 th / /004. (t) MCA-Namibia Procurement Rules means the principles, rules and procedures that shall govern the conduct and administration by MCA-Namibia of the procurement of goods, works and services (consultant and non-consultant) that need to be acquired to implement the Compact funded projects, which rules are attached as Annex VI to the Compact. (u) MCC means the Millennium Challenge Corporation, a United States Government corporation, acting on behalf of the United States Government. (v) NAD means Republic of Namibian Dollars (w) PDS means the Proposal Data Sheet, in Section 2 of this RFP, used to reflect specific country and assignment conditions. (x) Personnel means professionals and support staff provided by the Consultant, or by any Sub-Consultants, or associates that are assigned to perform the Services or any part thereof. (y) "Pre-Proposal Meeting" means the pre-proposal meeting specified in the PDS, if any. (z) Proposal means the Technical Proposal and the 8 P a g e

9 Section 1: Instructions to Consultants Financial Proposal for the provision of the Services submitted by a Consultant in response to this RFP. (aa) Program means the program to achieve the goals and objectives of the Compact as set forth in Compact (bb) Program Implementation Agreement means the Program Implementation Agreement entered into between the Government and MCC (on behalf the United States Government), which sets forth, among other things, the implementation arrangements, including fiscal accountability and disbursement mechanisms, for the implementation of the Program. (cc) QBS means Quality-Based Selection method. (dd) QCBS means Quality and Cost-Based Selection method. (ee) RFP means this Request for Proposals, including any amendments that may be made, prepared by MCA Namibia for the selection of the Consultant. (ff) SCC means the Special Conditions of Contract. (gg) Services means the tasks to be performed by the Consultant pursuant to the Contract. (hh) Sub-Consultant means any person or entity with whom the Consultant subcontracts any part of the Services. (ii) Taxes has the meaning given the term in the Compact. (jj) TEP means the Technical Evaluation Panel, selected for the purpose of evaluating the Proposals received, that submits a report with recommendation for award of the Contract for which this RFP is being issued. (kk) "Technical Proposal" has the meaning given the term in ITC Sub-Clause 3.4. (ll) Terms of Reference or TOR means the document included in this RFP as Section 6 which explains the objectives, scope of work, activities, tasks to be performed, respective responsibilities of MCA Namibia and the Consultant, and expected results and deliverables of the assignment. (mm) USD means United States of America Dollars 9 P a g e

10 Section 1: Instructions to Consultants 1. Introduction 1.1 MCA-Namibia will select a Consultant in accordance with the selection method specified in the PDS. 1.2 Throughout this RFP except where the context requires otherwise, words indicating the singular also include the plural and words indicating the plural also include the singular; and the feminine means the masculine and vice versa. 1.3 Consultants are invited to submit a Technical Proposal and a Financial Proposal for consulting services required for this assignment as specified in the PDS. The Proposal will be the basis for contract negotiations and ultimately for a signed Contract with the selected Consultant. 1.4 Consultants should familiarize themselves with local conditions and take them into account in preparing their Proposals. To obtain first-hand information on the assignment and local conditions, Consultants are encouraged to visit MCA Namibia before submitting a Proposal and to attend a Pre-Proposal Meeting if one is specified in the PDS. Attending any Pre-Proposal Meeting is strongly advised, but not mandatory. Attending any Pre-Proposal Meeting and/or a site visit shall not be taken into account for the purpose of evaluation of Proposals. 1.5 MCA Namibia will timely provide, at no cost to the Consultant, the inputs and facilities specified in the PDS, assist the firm in obtaining licenses and permits needed to carry out the Services, and make available relevant project data and reports. No other inputs will be provided. Therefore, a Consultant shall plan to cover all incurred expenses that may be foreseen to initiate and sustain the Services in a timely manner, including but not limited to office space, communication, insurance, office equipment, travel, etc. not otherwise specified in the PDS. 1.6 Consultants shall bear all costs associated with the preparation and submission of their Proposals and contract negotiation. 1.7 MCA Namibia is not bound to accept any Proposal, and reserves the right to annul the selection process at any time prior to Contract award, without thereby incurring 10 P a g e

11 Section 1: Instructions to Consultants Conflict of Interest Conflicting Activities Conflicting Assignments any liability to any Consultant. 1.8 MCA Namibia requires that Consultants provide professional, objective, and impartial advice and at all times hold MCA Namibia s interests paramount, strictly avoid conflicts with other assignments or their own corporate interests, and act without any consideration for future work Without limitation on the generality of the foregoing, Consultants, and any of their affiliates, shall be considered to have a conflict of interest and shall not be selected, under any of the circumstances set forth below: (a) A Consultant that has been engaged by MCA Namibia to provide goods, works or services other than consulting services for a project, and any of its affiliates, shall be disqualified from providing consulting services related to those goods, works or services. Conversely, a Consultant hired to provide consulting services for the preparation or implementation of a project, and any of its affiliates, shall be disqualified from subsequently providing goods, works or services other than consulting services resulting from or directly related to such consulting services for such preparation or implementation. For the purpose of this paragraph, services other than consulting services are defined as those leading to a measurable physical output, for example surveys, exploratory drilling, aerial photography, and satellite imagery. (b) A Consultant (including its associates, if any, its Personnel and Sub-Consultants and any of its affiliates) shall not be hired for any assignment that, by its nature, may be in conflict with another assignment of the Consultant to be executed for MCA Namibia or for another client. For example, a Consultant hired to prepare engineering design for an infrastructure project shall not be engaged to prepare an independent environmental assessment for the same project, and a Consultant assisting a client in the privatization of public assets shall not purchase, nor advise purchasers of, such assets. Similarly, a Consultant hired to prepare terms of reference for an assignment 11 P a g e

12 Section 1: Instructions to Consultants Conflicting Relationships should not be hired for the assignment in question. (c) A Consultant (including its associates, if any, its Personnel and Sub-Consultants and any of its affiliates) that have a business or family relationship with a member of MCA Namibia s board of directors or MCA Namibia staff, or with the Procurement Agent or Fiscal Agent (as defined in the Compact or related agreements) hired by MCA Namibia who is directly or indirectly involved in any part of (i) the preparation of the Terms of Reference of the assignment, (ii) the selection process for such assignment, or (iii) supervision of the Contract, may not be awarded the Contract, unless the conflict stemming from this relationship has been resolved in a manner acceptable to MCC throughout the selection process and the execution of the Contract Consultants have an obligation to disclose any situation of actual or potential conflict that impacts their capacity to serve the best interest of MCA Namibia, or that may reasonably be perceived as having this effect. Failure to disclose said situations may lead to the disqualification of the Consultant or the termination of the Contract No member of MCA Namibia s board of directors or current employees of MCA Namibia shall work as, or on behalf of, any Consultant No current employees of the Government shall work as Consultants or as Personnel under their own ministries, departments or agencies Recruiting former MCA Namibia or Government employees to work for their former ministries, departments or agencies is acceptable provided no conflict of interest exists If a Consultant nominates any Government employee as Personnel in their Technical Proposal, such Personnel must have written certification from the Government confirming that they are on leave without pay from their official position and allowed to work full-time outside of their previous official position. Such certification shall be provided to MCA Namibia by the Consultant as part of its Technical Proposal. 12 P a g e

13 Section 1: Instructions to Consultants Unfair Advantage Fraud and Corruption In the case where a Consultant seeks to engage the services of any person falling under ITC Sub-Clauses , who may have left MCA Namibia within a period of less than twelve (12) months of the date of this RFP, it must obtain a no-objection from MCA Namibia for the inclusion of such a person, prior to the Consultant s submission of its Proposal If a Consultant could derive a competitive advantage from having provided consulting services related to the assignment in question, MCA Namibia shall make available to all Consultants, together with this RFP, all information that would in that respect give such Consultant any competitive advantage over competing Consultants. 1.9 MCC requires that all beneficiaries of MCC Funding, including MCA Namibia and any bidders, suppliers, contractors, subcontractors and consultants under any MCC-funded contracts observe the highest standards of ethics during the procurement and execution of such contracts. In pursuance of this policy, MCA Namibia: (a) will reject a Proposal if it determines that the Consultant recommended for award has, directly or through an agent, engaged in Fraud and Corruption in competing for the Contract; (b) as the right to sanction a Consultant, including declaring the Consultant ineligible, either indefinitely or for a stated period of time, to be awarded an MCC-funded contract if at any time it determines that the Consultant has, directly or through an agent, engaged in Fraud and Corruption in competing for, or in executing such a contract; and (c) has the right to require that a provision be included in the Contract requiring the selected Consultant to permit MCA Namibia, MCC, or any designee of MCC, to inspect its accounts, records and other documents relating to the submission of a Proposal or performance of the Contract, and to have such accounts and records audited by auditors appointed by MCC or by MCA Namibia with the approval of MCC. In addition, MCC has the right to cancel the portion of MCC Funding allocated to the Contract if it determines at any time that representatives of a beneficiary of the 13 P a g e

14 Section 1: Instructions to Consultants Eligibility Ineligibility and Debarment MCC Funding engaged in Fraud and Corruption during the selection process or the execution of the Contract, without MCA Namibia or the beneficiary having taken timely and appropriate action satisfactory to MCC to remedy the situation. MCC may also invoke, on its own behalf, any of the rights identified for MCA Namibia in ITC Sub-Clause 1.11(a)-(c) above Consultants (including their associates, if any), their Sub-Consultants and Personnel, shall satisfy the eligibility criteria set forth below, as applicable Consultants (including their associates, if any), their Personnel and Sub-Consultants shall not be any person or entity under a declaration of ineligibility for Fraud and Corruption in accordance with ITC Sub-Clause 1.8, or that have been declared ineligible for participation in a procurement in accordance with the procedures set out in the MCC Program Procurement Guidance paper entitled Excluded Parties Verification Procedures in MCA Namibia Program Procurements that can be found on MCC s website at This would also remove from eligibility for participation in a procurement any firm that is organized in or has its principal place of business or a significant portion of its operations in any country that is subject to sanction or restriction by law or policy of the United States. As of the date of this Request for Proposals, those countries are Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan and Syria. However, the countries subject to these sanctions and restrictions are subject to change from time to time and it is necessary to refer to the web sites identified in the guidance paper referenced above for the most current listing of sanctioned and restricted countries. Consultants (including their associates, if any), their Personnel and Sub-Consultants not otherwise made ineligible for a reason described in the immediately preceding paragraph shall be excluded if: (a) as a matter of law or official regulation, the Government prohibits commercial relations with the country of such Consultant, associates, Personnel or Sub-Consultants; (b) by an act of compliance with a decision of the United Nations Security Council taken under 14 P a g e

15 Section 1: Instructions to Consultants Qualification and Eligibility of Consultants Eligibility of Associates Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations, the Government prohibits any import of goods from the country of such Consultant, associates, Personnel or Sub-Consultants or any payments to persons or entities in such country; or (c) such Consultant, associates, Personnel or Sub-Consultants are otherwise deemed ineligible by MCC pursuant to any policy or guidance that may, from time to time, be in effect as posted on the MCC website at Consultants must satisfy the legal, financial and litigation criteria requirements stated in Paragraphs 3.1 to 3.3 of Section 3 of this RFP Consultants must also satisfy the eligibility criteria set forth in this RFP and as contained in the MCC Program Procurement Guidelines governing MCC-funded procurements under the Compact In the case where a Consultant intends to associate with another Consultant and/or individual expert(s), then such associates shall also be subject to the eligibility criteria set forth in this RFP and as contained in the MCC Program Procurement Guidelines governing MCC-funded procurements under the Compact. Eligibility of Government-owned Entities Government-Owned Enterprises (GOEs) are not eligible to compete for MCC-funded contracts. GOEs (i) may not be party to any MCC-funded contract for goods, works, or services procured through an open solicitation process, limited bidding, direct contracting, or sole source selection; and (ii) may not be prequalified or shortlisted for any MCC-funded contract anticipated to be procured through these means. This prohibition does not apply to Government-owned Force Account units owned by the Government of the MCA Entity s country, or Government-owned educational institutions and research centers, any statistical, mapping or other technical entities not formed primarily for a commercial or business purpose, or where a waiver is granted by MCC in accordance with Part 7 of the Rules. All Consultants must certify their status as a part of their submission in Annex 4 to form Tech P a g e

16 Section 1: Instructions to Consultants Commissions and Gratuities Origin of Goods and Consulting Services Only one Proposal Proposal Validity Source of Funds; Compact Terms and Conditions 1.11 A Consultant shall furnish information on commissions and gratuities, if any, paid or to be paid to agents relating to this RFP or its Proposal and during execution of the assignment if the Consultant is awarded the Contract, as requested in the Financial Proposal submission form (Section 4B) Goods supplied and consulting services provided under the Contract may originate from any country subject to the same restrictions specified for Consultants (including their associates, if any), their Personnel and Sub-Consultants set forth in ITC Sub-Clause Consultants may only submit one Proposal. If a Consultant submits or participates in more than one Proposal, all such Proposals shall be disqualified. However, this does not limit the participation of the same Sub-Consultant, including individual experts, to more than one Proposal The PDS indicates how long Consultants Proposals must remain valid after the submission date. During this period, Consultants shall maintain the availability of Key Professional Personnel nominated in the Proposal. MCA Namibia will make its best effort to complete negotiations within this period. Should the need arise, however, MCA Namibia may request Consultants to extend the validity period of their Proposals. Consultants who agree to such extension shall confirm that they maintain the availability of the Key Professional Personnel nominated in the Proposal, or in their confirmation of extension of validity of the Proposal, Consultants could submit new Key Professional Personnel in replacement, which would be considered in the final evaluation for Contract award. Consultants who do not agree have the right to refuse to extend the validity of their Proposals MCC and the Government have entered into the Compact to help facilitate poverty reduction through economic growth in Namibia. The Government, acting through MCA Namibia, intends to apply a portion of the proceeds of MCC Funding to eligible payments under the Contract. Payments under the Contract will be subject, in all respects, to the terms and conditions of the Compact and related documents, including restrictions on the use of MCC Funding and conditions 16 P a g e

17 Section 1: Instructions to Consultants to disbursements. No party other than the Government and MCA Namibia shall derive any rights from the Compact or have any claim to the proceeds of MCC Funding. The Compact and its related documents are available at or at the website of MCA Namibia at 2. Clarification and Amendment of RFP Document 2.1 Consultants may request a clarification of the RFP documents up to the number of days indicated in the PDS before the Proposal submission date. Any request for clarification must be sent in writing or by or fax to MCA Namibia at the address indicated in the PDS. MCA Namibia will respond in writing or by or fax and will send written copies of the response (including an explanation of the query, but without identifying the source of inquiry) to all Consultants by the date specified in the PDS. 2.2 Should MCA Namibia deem it necessary to amend the RFP as a result of a clarification, it shall do so following the procedure under ITC Sub-Clause At any time prior to the deadline for submission of Proposals, MCA Namibia may, for any reason and at its sole discretion, amend the RFP by issuing an amendment following the procedure under ITC Sub-Clause Any amendment issued under ITC Sub-Clauses 2.2 or 2.3 shall (a) become a part of the RFP and (b) be communicated in writing to all shortlisted Consultants or Consultants who have registered or obtained the RFP directly from MCA Namibia, as the case may be. 2.5 To give prospective Consultants reasonable time in which to take an amendment into account in preparing their Proposals, MCA Namibia may, at its discretion, extend the deadline for the submission of Proposals 3. Preparation of Proposals 3.1 The Proposal, as well as all related correspondence exchanged by the Consultants and MCA Namibia, shall be written in English. 3.2 In preparing their Proposal, Consultants are expected to examine in detail the documents comprising the RFP. Material deficiencies in providing the information requested may result in rejection of a Proposal. 17 P a g e

18 Section 1: Instructions to Consultants 3.3 While preparing the Technical Proposal, Consultants must give particular attention to the following: (a) In the case where there has been no shortlisting of Consultants, if a Consultant considers that it may enhance its expertise for the assignment, it may associate with another Consultant. In case of a joint venture, all partners shall be jointly and severally liable and shall indicate who will act as the leader of the joint venture. In the case where there has been shortlisting of Consultants, if a shortlisted Consultant considers that it may enhance its expertise for the assignment by associating with other Consultants in a joint venture or Sub-consultancy, it may associate with either (a) non-shortlisted Consultant(s), or (b) shortlisted Consultant(s) if so indicated in the PDS. A shortlisted Consultant must first obtain the approval of MCA Namibia if it wishes to enter into a joint venture with non-shortlisted or shortlisted Consultant(s). In case of association with non-shortlisted Consultant(s), the shortlisted Consultant shall act as association leader. In case of a joint venture, all partners shall be jointly and severally liable and shall indicate who will act as the leader of the joint venture. (b) The estimated number of person-months for Key Professional Personnel envisaged to execute the assignment may be shown in the PDS. However, the evaluation of the Proposal shall be based on the number of person-months estimated by the Consultant. For fixed-budget-based assignments, the available budget is given in the PDS, and the Financial Proposal shall not exceed this budget, while the estimated number of Professional staff-months shall not be disclosed. (c) Alternative Key Professional Personnel shall not be proposed, and only one curriculum vitae (CV) may be submitted for each position indicated in the TOR. Technical Proposal Format and Content 3.4 Consultants are required to submit a technical proposal, which shall provide the information indicated in the 18 P a g e

19 Section 1: Instructions to Consultants following paragraphs (a) through (g) using the standard forms provided in Section 4A (the Technical Proposal ). A page is considered to be one printed side of A4 or US letter-size paper. (a) Information on the Consultant s financial capacity is required (Form TECH-2 of Section 4A). A brief description of the Consultants organization and an outline of recent experience of the Consultant and of each associate, if any, on assignments of a similar nature is required (Form TECH-3 and TECH-4 of Section 4A). For each assignment, the outline should indicate the names of associates or Key Professional Personnel who participated, duration of the assignment, contract amount, and Consultant s involvement. Information should be provided only for those assignments for which the Consultant was legally contracted as a corporation or as one of the major firms within a joint venture. Assignments completed by individual professional staff working privately or through other consultants cannot be claimed as the experience of the Consultant, or that of an associate, but can be claimed by the professional staff themselves in their CVs. Consultants should be prepared to substantiate the claimed experience if so requested by MCA Namibia. References of the Consultant are also required (Form TECH-5 of Section 4A). (b) Comments and suggestions on the Terms of Reference including workable suggestions that could improve the quality/ effectiveness of the assignment; and on requirements for counterpart staff and facilities including: administrative support, office space, local transportation, equipment, data, etc. to be provided by MCA Namibia (Form TECH-7 of Section 4A). (c) A description of the approach, methodology and work plan for performing the assignment covering the following subjects: technical approach and methodology, work plan, and organization and staffing schedule. Guidance on the content of this section of the Technical Proposal is provided (Form TECH-6 of Section 4A). The work plan should be consistent with the Work and Deliverables Schedule (Form TECH-10 of Section 4A) which will show in the form of a bar chart the timing 19 P a g e

20 Section 1: Instructions to Consultants 20 P a g e proposed for each activity. (d) The list of the proposed Key Professional Personnel by area of expertise, the position that would be assigned to each person, and their tasks (Form TECH-8 of Section 4A). (e) Estimates of the staff input (person-months of foreign and local professionals) needed to carry out the assignment (Form TECH-9 of Section 4A). The person-months input should be indicated separately for home office and field activities, and for foreign and local professional staff. (f) CVs of the Key Professional Personnel signed by the staff themselves and/or by the authorized representative (Form TECH-11 of Section 4A). (g) A detailed description of the proposed methodology and staffing for training, if the PDS specifies training as a specific component of the assignment. 3.5 The Technical Proposal shall not include any financial information other than the required information in Form TECH-2. A Technical Proposal containing financial information will constitute grounds for declaring the Proposal non-responsive. Financial Proposals 3.6 The Consultant s financial proposal shall be prepared using the forms provided in Section 4B (the Financial Proposal ). It shall list all prices associated with the assignment, including remuneration for Personnel (foreign and local, in the field and at the Consultants home office) and travel expenses, if indicated in the PDS. All activities and items described in the Technical Proposal shall be assumed to be included in the price offered in the Financial Proposal. Taxes 3.7 Except as may be exempt pursuant to the Compact, a Consultant (including its associates, if any), Sub-Consultants, and their respective Personnel shall be subject to certain Taxes (as defined in the Compact) under applicable law (now or hereafter in effect). In addition, even where the Compact provides exemption, the exemption may be implemented through the payment and reimbursement of the relevant Taxes; and in some cases reimbursement may be made to MCA-Namibia and the Program only. In all cases, the Consultant (including its associates, if any), Sub-Consultants and their respective Personnel shall

21 Section 1: Instructions to Consultants pay all such Taxes. In the event that any Taxes are imposed on the Consultant, its associates, Sub-Consultants or their respective Personnel, the Contract price shall not be adjusted to account for such Taxes. MCA-Namibia shall have no obligation to pay or compensate the Consultant, its associates, Sub-Consultants or their respective Personnel for any Taxes. For the avoidance of doubt,(a) the Consultant (including its associates, if any), Sub-Consultants and their respective Personnel will be subject to the applicable law regarding the following Taxes, and the Consultant (including its associates, if any), Sub-Consultants and their respective Personnel are not exempt from such Taxes pursuant to the provisions of the Compact: income and profit Taxes (including individual and corporate), transfer duty Taxes, stamp duty Taxes, fuel levies, motor vehicle Taxes and rates and Taxes; and (B) in the case of value-added Taxes, each of the Consultant (including its associates, if any), its Sub-Consultants and their respective Personnel, who is registered in Namibia as a payer of value-added Taxes (i) may invoice MCA-Namibia for value-added Taxes associated with work performed under the Contract and process value-added Tax returns for inputs associated with such work and (ii) may receive Tax exemption from import customs and value-added Taxes on supplies, goods and services imported for work performed under the Contract if such goods, supplies or services are consigned to MCA-Namibia. Currencies 3.8 Consultants must submit their Financial Proposals in the currency or currencies specified in the PDS. 3.9 Commissions and gratuities, if any, paid or to be paid by Consultants and related to the assignment should be listed in the Financial Proposal Form FIN-1 of Section 4B. 4. Submission, Receipt, and Opening of Proposals 4.1 The following applies to the ORIGINAL of the Technical Proposal, and of the Financial Proposal. The ORIGINAL shall contain no interlineations or overwriting, except as necessary to correct errors made by the Consultants themselves. The person signing the Proposal must initial such corrections, as well as initial each page of the relevant ORIGINAL. The submission letters for the Technical Proposal and for the Financial Proposal should respectively be in the format shown in (Form TECH-1) and (Form FIN-1). 21 P a g e

22 Section 1: Instructions to Consultants 22 P a g e 4.2 If required in the PDS, the authorized representative of the Consultant signing the ORIGINALS of the Technical and of the Financial Proposal shall provide within the Technical Proposal an authorization in the form of a written power of attorney demonstrating that the person signing has been duly authorized to sign the ORIGINALS on behalf of the Consultant, and its associates. The signed Technical Proposals and the signed Financial Proposals shall be clearly marked ORIGINAL. 4.3 Copies of the Technical Proposal and the Financial Proposal shall be made, in the number stated in the PDS, and each shall be clearly marked COPY. It is preferred that all copies required should be made by photocopying the ORIGINAL as appropriate. However, the Consultant should note that if copies are made by any other means and discrepancies are found between the original and any of the copies of the relevant documents, then the ORIGINAL shall govern. 4.4 The ORIGINAL and each COPY of the Technical Proposal shall be placed in a sealed envelope/parcel clearly marked Technical Proposal. Similarly, the ORIGINAL and each COPY of the Financial Proposal shall be placed in a separate sealed envelope/parcel clearly marked Financial Proposal. Each envelope/parcel shall bear the name and address of MCA Namibia as stated in the PDS (ITC Sub-Clause 4.4), the name and address of the Consultant (in case they have to be returned unopened, and the Name of the Assignment as stated in the PDS (ITC Sub-Clause 1.3). In addition, the envelope/parcel containing the original and copies of the Financial Proposal shall be marked with a warning Do Not Open With the Technical Proposal. If the Financial Proposal is not submitted in a separate sealed envelope/parcel duly marked as indicated above, this will constitute grounds for declaring the Proposal non-responsive. The two envelopes/parcels containing the Technical Proposal and the Financial Proposal shall then be placed into one outer envelope or carton (as appropriate) and securely sealed to prevent premature opening. This

23 Section 1: Instructions to Consultants outer envelope/carton shall bear the submission address, name and address of the Consultant, name of the assignment reference number, and be clearly marked Do Not Open, Except In Presence of the Official Appointed, Before 14:00 HRS ON (INSERT CLOSING DATE) as indicated in the PDS. MCA Namibia shall not be responsible for misplacement, losing or premature opening if the outer envelope/carton is not sealed and/or marked as stipulated. This circumstance may be cause for Proposal rejection. 4.5 Proposals must be received by MCA Namibia at the address and no later than the time and on the date specified in the PDS, or any extension of this date in accordance with ITC Sub-Clause 2.5. Any Proposal received by MCA Namibia after the deadline for submission shall be declared late, rejected and returned unopened to the Consultant. 4.6 MCA Namibia shall open the outer envelopes/cartons as soon as possible after the deadline for submission and sort the Proposals into Technical Proposals or Financial Proposals as appropriate. The Technical proposals will be opened as specified in the PDS. The envelopes with the Technical Proposals shall remain sealed until the TEP is ready to convene. MCA Namibia shall ensure that the Financial Proposals remain sealed and securely stored until such time as the public opening of Financial Proposals takes place. 5. Proposal Evaluation 5.1 From the time Proposals are opened to the time the Contract is awarded, Consultants may not contact MCA Namibia on any matter related to its Technical Proposal or Financial Proposal. Any effort by a Consultant to influence MCA Namibia in the examination, evaluation, ranking of Proposals, and recommendation for award of Contract may result in the rejection of the Consultant s Proposal. Evaluation of Technical Proposals 5.2 The TEP shall evaluate the Technical Proposals on the basis of their responsiveness to the Terms of Reference, applying the evaluation criteria, sub-criteria, and point system specified in Section 3. Each responsive Proposal will be given a technical score (St). A Proposal shall be rejected at this stage if it does not respond to important aspects of the RFP, and particularly the Terms of Reference or if it fails to achieve the minimum technical score indicated in the 23 P a g e

24 Section 1: Instructions to Consultants PDS. Evaluation of Financial Capacity Financial Proposals (only for QBS) 5.3 Financial Capacity: The Consultant s financial capability to mobilize and sustain the Services is imperative. In its proposal the Consultant is required to provide information on its financial and economic status. The information required should be completed using the Form-TECH-2. This requirement is met by the submission of one of the following: 1) audited financial statements for the last three years, supported by audit letters, 2) certified financial statements for the last three years, supported by tax returns or 3) a copy of the Consultant s Dun and Bradstreet Business Information Report (BIR). The Dun and Bradstreet report must be either notarized, or accompanied by the following statement by the Consultant: I certify that the attached Business Information Report has been issued by Dun and Bradstreet within 30 days of the date of this certification, that the report has not been altered in any way since its issuance, and that it is true and correct to the best of my knowledge. The statement must be signed by an authorized representative of the Consultant. If the proposal is submitted by a joint venture, all parties in the joint venture are required to submit their financial statements or D&B Business Information Report. The reports should be submitted in the order of the partner s significance in the partnership, greatest to least. 5.4 A Consultant that fails to demonstrate through its financial statements or Business Information Report that it has the financial capacity to perform the required services may be disqualified at the discretion of MCA-Namibia. MCA-Namibia, at its discretion, may ask for clarifications or additional information regarding the information provided in Form TECH The outcome of the Financial Capacity evaluation is a clear YES or NO. Any Consultant that receives a NO shall not be evaluated further and its Financial Proposal shall be returned unopened. 5.6 Following the ranking of Technical Proposals, and after receiving a no objection from MCC (if applicable), when selection is based on quality only (QBS), the first ranked Consultant will be invited to negotiate its Proposal and the Contract in accordance with the 24 P a g e

25 Section 1: Instructions to Consultants instructions given under ITC Sub-Clause 6.1. Financial Proposals (only for QCBS, FBS, LCS) 5.7 Following completion of the evaluation of Technical Proposals, and after receiving a no objection from MCC (if applicable), MCA Namibia shall notify all Consultants who have submitted Proposals of (a) those Proposals which were considered non-responsive, (b) the technical scores of those Proposals which were deemed responsive and (c) to those who achieved the minimum qualifying mark, the date, time and location for the opening of the Financial Proposals. The notification shall also advise those Consultants whose Technical Proposals did not meet the minimum qualifying mark, or which were considered non-responsive, that their Financial Proposals will be returned unopened after MCA Namibia has completed the selection process. 5.8 Financial Proposals shall be opened publicly in the presence of those Consultants representatives who choose to attend at the date, time and location stated in the notice issued pursuant to ITC Sub-Clause 5.4. All Financial Proposals will first be inspected to confirm that they have remained sealed and unopened. Only the Financial Proposals of those Consultants who met the minimum qualifying mark following the Technical Evaluation stage will be opened. The Technical Score (St) and only the Total Proposal Price, as stated in the Financial Proposal Submission Form (Form FIN-1) shall be read out aloud and recorded. A copy of the record shall subsequently be sent to those Consultants whose Financial Proposals were opened and to MCC. 5.9 The TEP will correct any computational errors, and in cases of a discrepancy between a partial amount and the total amount, or between words and figures the former will prevail. In addition to the above corrections, activities and items described in the Technical Proposal but not priced, shall be assumed to be included in the prices of other activities or items. In cases where an activity or line item is quantified differently in the Financial Proposal from the Technical Proposal, no corrections will be applied to the Financial Proposal in this respect. If Consultants are not required to submit financial proposals in a single 25 P a g e

26 Section 1: Instructions to Consultants currency, prices shall be converted to a single currency for evaluation purposes using the selling rates of exchange, source and date indicated in the PDS For Quality and Cost Based Selection (QCBS), the lowest evaluated Financial Proposal (Fm) will be given the maximum financial score (Sf) of 100 points. The financial scores (Sf) of the other Financial Proposals will be computed as indicated in Section 3: Qualification and Evaluation Criteria. Proposals will be ranked according to their combined technical (St) and financial (Sf) scores using the weights (T = the weight given to the Technical Proposal; P = the weight given to the Financial Proposal; T + P = 1) indicated in Section 3. S = St x T% + Sf x P%. The Consultant achieving the highest combined technical and financial score will be invited for negotiations In the case of Fixed-Budget Selection (FBS), the Client will select the firm that submitted the highest ranked Technical Proposal within the budget. Proposals that exceed the indicated budget will be rejected. In the case of the Least-Cost Selection (LCS), MCA Namibia will select the lowest priced proposal among those that passed the minimum technical score. In both cases, the evaluated proposal price according to ITC Sub-Clause 5.6 shall be considered, and the selected firm invited for negotiations Prior to execution of a contract, MCA Namibia shall reserve the right to conduct a verification of the market-reasonableness of the prices offered. A negative determination (either unreasonably high or unreasonably low) could be a reason for rejection of the proposal at the discretion of MCA Namibia. The Consultant shall not be permitted to revise its submission after a determination that its offered price is unreasonable. In addition, MCA Namibia may also verify any information provided on Form TECH-5 in the proposal. A negative determination in the post-qualification could lead to the rejection of the Proposal and MCA Namibia may, at its discretion, move to invite the next-ranked Consultant for negotiation. 26 P a g e